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Thursday, 20 June 2013

I know I'm a bit late on the uptake here, but since I've only just managed to get myself into a Bravissimo store, I hope you'll forgive me!

Tutti Rouge launched just a few months ago after much hype on their facebook page and at trade shows with gorgeous designs like this:

Tutti's first release was the Liliana. At £26 (£14 for the shorts, £12 for the thong) it's in the lower price range of fuller bust bras, but has all the details and design you'd expect from an established brand. Liliana is a bright coral-pink padded bra with a mesh upper section to the cups. It's described as a balcony bra and has fully adjustable straps and is available in sizes 28-38D-J.

I love the little details that Tutti Rouge add to their bras, such as the little heart shaped adjusters and their brand name embossed into the back fastener. Both of these photos were taken from Tutti Rouge's facebook page.

As for the fit, sadly for me it's not as favourable as the aesthetics of the bra. I tried the Liliana in a 28GG but ideally needed a 28H. Aside from that, the design is quite similar to Curvy Kate bras such as the Princess, Lotte and Angel in that it's quite east/westy and lacks forward projection, which is fine if you like that sort of thing, but I'm not a fan. In the interest of balance, here are two positive reviews from Georgina at Fuller Figure Fuller Bust and Cheryl from Invest In Your Chest Here's the bra on me;

The second release from Tutti Rouge was the Betty, £32 (shorts £16) a pretty floral padded half cup with oodles of lace trimming. Betty is available in sizes 28-38 DD-HH. Again, the bra features the heart shaped adjusters and embossed fastener at the back, and again, as much as it pains me to say it, but unfortunately for me it didn't work.

I tried the Betty in a 28H and it had a very flattening effect on me. The lack of fully adjustable straps also didn't do me any favours, resulting in no support or shape whatsoever and it also had an east/west effect on me. Again, in the interest of balance, here are two more reviews from The Style Rawr and The Lingerie Addict.

Will you be trying Tutti Rouge? Or have you already tried them, and what did you think?

My recent Manchester trip meant another visit to full bust specialists, Bravissimo to try some of their new summer stock. I was somewhat spoilt for choice as there were so many pretty colours and patterns everywhere I looked.

The bra I was most looking forward to trying was the Freya Deco in Flamingo print, £32. I ADORE the kitsch flamingo print and the moulded cup Deco is my go-to bra. I tried this in a 28GG, what I thought to be my 'true' size, but it was unfortunately too small in the cup by one cup size. The band was okay, not too tight and not too loose but a little more loose than a 'true' 28 band. I might need to buy this in a sister size as I love it so much! The Deco Flamingo is available in size 28 DD-GG, 30-36 D-GG and 3 D-G. Matching shorts and briefs are £12.

Next I tried the Cleo Maddie, £26. I chose this moulded bra to try as it looked like a good substitute for the Freya Deco. Again in a 28GG, and again too small in the cup. The band is nice and firm too, much more true to size than the Deco. I don't normally have any luck with Cleo bras, but this one impressed me enough to buy it in a 28H without even trying it on first! I got the matching shorts £14.50 in a size 14 which are exactly the same as a Freya Deco short in a Large. The fit is similar to the Smoothie bra by Curvy Kate in that it's not a mega cleavagey plunge like the Deco but more of a low centred balcony. It has a higher central gore, which means it encases my breasts better than a Deco, meaning no spillage towards the centre of the cups. I do wish I could find a happy medium. The only negative point I have to say on this bra is that the fully adjustable straps are quite thin. I've not worn it yet so I'll have to see how that pans out when I do.

Possibly the prettiest I tried was the Retro Bloom by Bravissimo, £32. The colour combination of yellow, blue, lilac, coral and red trim are perfect together. The bra is a lightly padded balcony with fully adjustable straps. I had no fitting issues with this in a 28H, and the shorts in a M (£16), but I didn't buy this as I was only really looking for a moulded everyday set. It's a really lovely set and I hope to see more like this from Bravissimo in the future. Pease excuse the red marks across my stomach where my tights has been sitting!

Another hotly anticipated set for me was the Hello Dolly set by Freya. £32 for the bra, £12 for the shorts. I LOVE the Russian doll print and folk-inspired trim in teal, red and mustard. This is a 28GG and I thought it seemed a bit large in the cups when I first put it on, but once I'd 'swept and scooped' I filled it out nicely. The shorts I tried were a Medium, but would have been better in a Large. It's a real shame this bra isn't padded, or better still, a Deco, as I don't wear unpadded bras, so again I chose not to buy this one. If you are a fan of unpadded bras and cute prints, then don't miss out on Hello Dolly!

Again, excuse the red marks across my stomach!

I also tried on two bras from the newest fuller bust brand, Tutti Rouge, but I'll be writing a separate post on them shortly.

Sunday, 9 June 2013

You all know by now that I'm short and curvy, so it probably doesn't shock you to learn that I struggle to find tights that fit me properly. I have a drawer overflowing with tights from over the years, from tartan to polka dot, floral to plain, fishnet to heart print. Most of them I buy from everyones favourite high street store of cheapness, Primark, for the measly sum of £3.50 at the most. I love tights but I can rarely be bothered to find an outfit worthy of showcasing the more interesting ones to their full potential, not to mention the effort of wearing heels, which I always like to do with tights. When I do wear them though, I have disasters...

Yes, on more than one occasion I've completely wrecked my tights with the size of my behind, ending up looking as though I'd been pawed at by a tiger. Embarrassing, no?

I recently split my tights AGAIN, and was kindly sent four pairs by Pamela Mann, a hosiery company I've long admired for their on-trend fashion tights and classic staples. They said I could choose a few pairs, but not wanting to appear greedy, I chose two; black and white polka dot (£8.99) and small dogtooth print (£8.49), again in black and white. To my sheer joy (see what I did there?), a representative from Pamela Mann sent me a message to say she'd thrown in another two pairs, these sheer dotty tights in black and nude & black (£8.99 per pair). Pamela Mann tights are mostly 'one size' from 8-14 rather than Primark's sizing of s/m m/l so I was reluctant that they'd work for me. There are a number of styles that go right up to a size 32, so be sure to check them out if you are plus sized.

With the weather being so random of late, I've only just managed to try these tights out. We're currently having a warm spell, meaning I'm able to wear sheer tights rather than my usual trousers or thick, fleece-lined tights. Last week was a bit too hot for the polka dot and dogtooth tights, so I chose the sheer dotty ones instead, and managed to wear both pairs on consecutive days.

The first thing I noticed about the black pair was that they're a little long in the leg on me. I'm not sure if this is something to do with the black dye/fabric but the nude ones are perfect. What I really love about them is that they come up really high on my waist, helping guard against those dreaded lumps and bumps I normally get when wearing tights. I think this is down to the 'one size' rule, something I assumed would work against me. I haven't managed to snag the tights yet, which is quite a feat for me since I'm a little clumsy and certainly don't take as much care and time as I should whilst pulling my tights up, particularly first thing in the morning! I did catch my heel on my tights once and caught them with the corner of some sharp, plastic packaging in my Tesco carrier bag, but they miraculously didn't ladder.

The polka dot and dogtooth print tights are more 'dense' than the sheer tights so are better for those days when it's not quite so hot outside, or for me, high summer at work inside this freezing building! Again, they are a smidge too long for me but not so much to stop me buying more.

All in all, I LOVE Pamela Mann tights. They really push the boat out with new designs and don't limit themselves to a few colours in quite a few designs; they make the ENTIRE RAINBOW!! Take a look for yourself!